Vegan Red Velvet Mug Cake Recipe with Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Filling

Large gatherings aren’t the norm these days, but you and your loved ones still deserve a special treat on Valentine’s Day – or any day for that matter. Enter the vegan red velvet mug cake! It’s a delicious personal dessert with a sweet cream cheesy filling. It takes no forethought, no planning, and only 90 seconds of cook time to show someone how much you care.

Vegan Red Velvet Mug Cake with Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Filling

Beyond making it dairy-free and egg-free, we have more options and tips to make this single-serve dessert even more accessible. First, the original recipe uses a whopping 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Have you seen the price of vanilla these days?! Plus, some extracts can easily overwhelm and even produce a bitter taste. We’ve reduced it to a modest amount, but feel free to adjust the vanilla up or down to taste.

Second, I know some of you are hesitant about red food dye. Red food dye is what gives red velvet cake it’s warm hue. In reality, it’s a very lightly chocolaty cake. Original versions of this recipe use 1 teaspoon of dye or 30 drops. You can use however much, or however little, you like to reach your desired color. I’ve read great reviews about McCormick for rich color and no taste, but IndiaTree is a popular natural option. For an even more natural option, you can use beet juice, even substituting it for a portion of the liquid. Other red juices, like pomegranate, can also lightly enhance the color and flavor.

This red velvet mug cake recipe with photo was shared with us by Culinary.net, but it has been adapted.

Special Diet Notes: Vegan Red Velvet Mug Cake

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian. Just make sure you pick a dairy-free cream cheese alternative that meets your dietary needs.

Vegan Red Velvet Mug Cake

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

2 mins

Total time

7 mins

This ooey, gooey vegan mug cake has a dairy-free cream cheese surprise in the middle. The original recipe calls for a full 2 teaspoons of vanilla, which makes us nervous and makes this recipe expensive! You can use that amount, stick with the recipe below, or take the middle ground.

Author: Adapted from Culinary.net

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup dairy-free milk beverage or water
2 tablespoons melted dairy-free buttery spread or oil
¼ to ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (to taste), plus a few drops for the filling
¼ to 1 teaspoon natural red food coloring, or as desired
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon dairy-free cream cheese alternative, softened

Instructions

In 12-ounce mug, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk beverage or water, buttery spread or oil, vanilla extract, and food coloring. Whisk until blended.
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream cheese alternative, and a few drops of vanilla extract, until smooth.
Drop the cream cheese mixture into the cake batter, and press it in until covered with the batter.
Microwave the cake on high, until just cooked through, about 90 seconds.